


Geheimnis Loop

by IAmNotAPotatoOrAmI, Mystical_Starling



Category: Mafia Game - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:55:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24297703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmNotAPotatoOrAmI/pseuds/IAmNotAPotatoOrAmI, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystical_Starling/pseuds/Mystical_Starling
Summary: Hello my beautiful people, sorry for leaving you on a cliff hanger! I need to continue writing the next chapter, hopefully it'll be out soon!
Relationships: Ezra/Katie
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	1. The Death of a Loved One Lead to New People

**Author's Note:**

> Hello my beautiful people, sorry for leaving you on a cliff hanger! I need to continue writing the next chapter, hopefully it'll be out soon!

Ezra didn even know what happened, the person she had called sister was dead. Ezra didn´t know what an Innkeeper did to deserve this. What could an Innkeeper do to anger an occult. Ezra shook her head and made her way to Ameliaś grave to leave flowers, it was the least she could do at the moment.  
“I wish it didn't have to be this way Amelia, I really don't. I 'll miss you and protect you next cycle, I promise.¨ Ezra looked around the graveyard before continuing ,¨ I should probably get going Amelias, you never know who will try to take you off the street...I'll be back tomorrow, okay? I´ll try to be safe.” Ezra left the graveyard to head home, seeing a raven flying above her with a bundle of wild flowers. She didn't notice the figure that watched them all before he walked away to wonder the town.  
After Ezra relaxed in her house for part of the day, she decided to leave her house and walk around the town. She stopped to say hello to a few people before noticing a figure. The figure was a guy with shaggy russet hair and pale green eyes. He looked pale and appeared to be just a bit taller than average. It seemed his clothes were worn out and dirty. The only thing that appeared to be clean about this man were papers he held. After studying the man for a bit, another woman pops up out of nowhere and introduces herself.  
“Hey! My name is Katherine, some people call me Katie or Kat though,” The woman had long wavy umber hair with amber eyes and tanned skin. She seemed to be Native American and had a bow and deer skull mask. The woman had feather earrings and her clothing was made of animal hide.  
“Hello Katherine,” Ezra held out her hand, “I´m Ezra, nice to meet you,” (She said)  
“Nice to meet you too! I would shake your hand but...I don't think ya want dirt and crap on you,” (She replied)  
“I don´t mind, work around here can be pretty, ya know,” (Ezra smiled)  
“Well then, okay,” (Shakes Ezra´s hand),“It was nice to meet you, but I need to go check on my dogs,”  
“Have fun Katherine, see you around,” That's all Ezra said before watching Katherine shift into a bird and fly towards the woods. After Katherine left, Ezra started heading towards the river before remembering she had to do something in town and heading back. As she got to town, she saw the man from earlier wandering around.  
“Hello? Is there something you need?” She called out to the man. It didn't seem that he heard her so she walked up to him, able to hear him mumbling under his breath before tapping his shoulder.  
“Sir? Can I help you with something?” His arms flailed as he jumped into the air, trying not to drop the papers he held.  
“Oh! Who? I-Me?” He questioned  
“Oh! Um, yes...are you okay?” She asked  
“I´m fine, I just-I-Who are you?” He swallowed. The guy seemed nervous.  
“My name is Ezra, I guess I'm kinda new around here. Do you need some help? Like getting around the town or something?” Ezra started to hold out her hand to the guy for a handshake, but she didn't want to spook him again so she put it back down before noticing the papers in his hands. The man glanced skittishly at her hand and shifted his papers to hold them against his chest with one hand while he held out the other. Ezra put her hand back out and shook his.  
“Elber, I´m not sure how much someone who's new could help me get anywhere but I appreciate the kind offer,” He said before making an awkward attempt at a smile.  
“Trust me, you get used to the layout of things quickly,” Ezra frowned and looked away for a few seconds before looking back and smiling,“Anyways, whatcha doing?¨  
“Oh, I´m mapping out the area. I plan eventually going around and finding the exact limits of where we can and can't go. It should also help me discover whether these boundaries change at all or if they stay consistent,”The man replied after a moment. He made small twitchy motions as he rambled, his free hand flexing and clenching repeatedly,“But for now, I'm mapping the town itself, circling out from the Inn…” His voice trailed off and his posture closed off ever so slightly.  
“Is something wrong Elber? Ezra asked and tilted her head to the side  
“That depends on your definition of ‘wrong’...”  
“I don't know, it just seems like something is bothering you” He shrugged before answering her.  
“I’m still not used to this much vegetation, people, or water. It’s nothing like where I came from…” He paused before continuing,“And I’m not sure how to feel about Amerlia’s fate...is that the normal status quo for death around here?” Elber asked. Ezra looked away from the guy before she answered  
“Seems like you know what’s going on around here...I suppose you could call it that,” Ezra looked back at Elber, frowning and tears starting to form in her eyes before wiping them away,“Amelia was my sister...I miss her.” Elber nodded at her answer.  
“I’ve been here for a couple of days, she was the first one who reached out to me. Amelia let me stay in the Inn...Will the Inn stay open with her dead?”  
“It might be, I can ask a few of my friends, if not I’ll let you have a room at my place until they build you one,” She gave a genuine smile,“I live on my own, I believe Amelia had her own place at the Inn.”  
“Okay,” Elber made another awkward attempt at a smile, this one a tad more successful than the first,“If it’s alright I think I might prefer to stay in the Inn, if that’s not too much to ask.  
“You’re fine! I get it, you meet a new person, they offer you a room, it doesn't feel safe. I hope you stay safe Elber, seriously, you seem like a nice guy!”  
“You too,” Elber replied, he stood there with the same awkward smile on his face. Ezra laughed a bit at his awkwardness before replying.  
“Thanks Elber! See you around!” She sees him nod before she turns around to wander around town, ending up at the marketplace. She got there not seeing anyone open to talk to so she decided to sit on one of the benches near the fountain, the middle piece of the market. After a minute or two, Ezra sees another woman arrive at the edge of the marketplace, so she waved her over. The new woman saw Ezra and chose to walk towards the fountain with strong, decisive steps. The way the woman walked seemed like she had spent more time walking on a deck than on land. Just before The woman got to Ezra she introduced herself.  
“Hello! I’m Ezra, nice to meet you!” The other woman stopped precisely in front of her and bowed.  
“Merilokki, captain of the Royal Guard. At your service,” Her face indicated that she was in her thirties and had a serious look on her face.  
Nice to meet an important person, we don't usually get those around here,”Ezra smiled up at the captain and held out her hand.  
“If the captain of a shipwreck is considered an important person,” The captain shook Ezra’s hand, but there was an underlying pain in her voice.  
“I apologize, I’m sorry for your loss captain,”Ezra frowned and put her hand down before the captain nodded.  
“May I sit here?” the captain asked.


	2. The Bridge to the Other Side

“Go ahead, I’m not saving it for anyone” The two women chatted for a bit before the captain had to leave to attend to other things. Following the chat, there was a comment about a bridge before a woman sat up straight at her table, almost spilling her tea, before remembering about said bridge.  
“THE BRIDGE!” The one woman shouted while the other thought about the easier chance they had of building the bridge with magic. The woman who shouted about the bridge hurriedly set her tea down and put her boots on and started mumbling under her breath.  
"The bridge, I can't believe I forgot about the bridge. We got all the wood and everything, how did we get so distracted?" She paused "Oh yeah, I died." The two women talked about the design of the bridge for a bit before one of the women starts walking around for a bit. Ezra watched the woman before waving her over. The movement seemed to catch the woman’s eye, looking over at Ezra before smiling, waving back, and jogging lightly over to her.  
“Good Day!” Exclaimed the woman.  
“Hello Mam! What can I help you with? You seem to need some at the moment,” Ezra replied before giving a small laugh.  
“Yes, last cycle, me and a few others decided to build a bridge over by the river,” the woman pointed in the general direction of the river,“But we got distracted, and as a result, it was never finished. I’ve made a design, and Perseus and I collected enough wood for it, but it’s a bit of a big job for me to do myself. I was hoping you were able to lend a hand?”  
“I’m good with helping, what about the other people you had? From the last cycle?” Ezra questioned. As the other woman spoke, she grimaced towards the end.  
“Either not interested or chosen to be the Narrator.”  
“That’s a shame...I don believe I’m busy besides the group we’re in,” Ezta makes a motion,“We can probably ask some people in the group. Iḿ sure they’ll be willing to lend a hand with the planning at least, they are good at that.”  
“The group?”  
“Oh! Sorry, I thought I saw you at one of our meetings, must have been someone different. The group I’m talking about plans things about the town, mostly where people move and other things like that.” Ezra stated as she made a dismissive motion with her hand about the topic.  
“Ah,” the other woman nodded,“ I don’t think I be much help with that, I tend to spend my time cooped up at home or the library,” She paused,“That reminds me, I must speak to Carta. She might have something on file that could help my research,” She shook her head,“Anyways, I would be glad for the help.”  
“No problem! And you mentioned research?” Ezra tilted her head in interest. The other woman was quiet for a long moment.  
“I...don’t think I'm ready to share that just yet. Nothing conclusive has come out of it. I hate to make false hope.  
“Ah, I see...getting people’s hopes up around here isn't great, as we both can tell.” The other woman nodded.  
“So, how long do you think the bridge will take?” Ezra asked, now curious about the project.  
“I’m not sure. Not long, considering we have magic right now. But it’s hard to estimate.”  
“Do you think it’ll stay in the next cycle? Like other things? Or maybe the controller of the cycle will reset it? That’s what I’m worried about.”  
“The buildings we make for people to live in stay in the next cycle,” she pointed out with a raised eyebrow.  
“True, I don’t know why I’m so worried,” Ezra gives a small laugh,“It just seems like things have been changing a lot recently, mostly with more people appearing in the cycles.” The other woman nodded in agreement.  
“So many people, I hope the Inn won’t explode from being so full.” The woman laughed.  
“Hopefully, and I hope Kirtin doesn’t overwork herself with all these new people and the houses that need to get built soon.”  
“Mhm. Speaking of, have you seen Joey around? I remember him mentioning he wanted to be a carpenter.”  
“I don’t believe I have,” Ezra paused for a moment before her eyes widened and she held out her hand,“We never introduced ourselves, my apologies! My name is Ezra!” The other woman shoke Ezra’s hand firmly.  
“Jay. I remember you from last cycle. That was your first, correct?” Ezra nodded in confirmation.  
“That was, I’m still trying to remember what happened before, but I just can’t remember.” Jay nodded at that statement, seeming to understand Ezra’s predicament herself.  
“I can relate. While I remember the majority of my life, the hours leading up to waking up here are foggy. As if it’s on the tip of my tongue, but it just won’t come out.”  
“Maybe it’s a thing the creator of this cycled place did...you know, so they can watch this and we can’t escape, but it backfired on the, and now they can’t escape without the possible powers the narrator gets?” Jay paused and her eyes lit up.  
“That...that’s a very interesting theory. What makes you think that?”  
“I’m not sure. From what I gathered from the last cycle, the narrator switches each time and they control the cycled area, yes? Well, that could have to do with some factor the creator didn’t consider. It’s possible that they didn’t realise another person could be selected until it happen. The creator could’ve started to forget how to escape from this area as they played outside their narrator role so now they can’t escape either. It’s also possible that since they’ve forgotten how to leave, they don’t want to anymore? I’m not sure, but it’s a possible idea. The problem is, I don’t have any evidence to prove it.”After Ezra finished talking, something seemed to change as her face went blank. After a moment she blinked and smiled,“When do you think we can get started on the bridge?” Jay seemed to be taken aback at Ezra’s question, but went along with it.   
“Perhaps tomorrow, if you ask your group who can help. But back to what you were just saying, that’s a very interesting theory. You think the creator of this place was a former Narrator who got replaced?” Ezra was confused at the question,  
“A theory? I wasn’t talking about a theory, we were talking about the bridge and how long it would take. You must have been talking about someone else…..Oh! I never introduced myself! My name is Ezra!” Ezra smiled at Jay, but didn’t hold out her hand this time,“Your name is...Jay, right?” Jay frown at the introduction  
“You...did introduce yourself,” Jay said slowly. Ezra tilted her head to the side for a moment before shaking her head.  
“I did? I don’t remember that, oh well.”  
“And...you’re not concerned about this?”  
“Should I be?”  
“Gaps of memory suddenly missing? I think you should see Kate.”  
“Maybe, I mean, as long as I didn’t do anything harmful, I should be fine.” Jay went quiet to think.  
“...Right. So if you tell your group about the bridge project, we should have enough hands to get started tomorrow. We might be able to finish within the day.”  
“I will! I’ll try to get the group together and get as many people as I can!” A raven was flying around then spotted something. The raven appeared to shift in mid air and turned out to be Katherine. Jay got started by the sudden appearance of Kathrine.  
“JESUS CHRIST-” Even though Jay got spooked, Ezra didn seem surprised at all.  
“Hello!”  
“Hi, it’s Ezra right? I think we met earlier.”  
“Yep! Your name is Kathrine, correct?”  
“Yup! Most people call me Katie or Kat though.”  
“Gotcha! We were just talking about a bridge Jay wanted to build,” Ezra stated as she mentioned between herself and Jay.  
“Need any help? It may not look it, but I’m pretty strong.”  
“Help would definitely be appreciated! I need to speak with my group about helping, but we should start building tomorrow and finish it too, if we can get enough people that is.”  
“Sounds good, if you see me flying around tomorrow, flag me down.”  
“Will do Katie!” Ezra smiled and it seemed as though Katie smiled back as well, though Ezra couldn tell due to the deer skull Katie wore.  
“So...I found out last night that people are from different times, Iḿ from 1928, when are you from?”  
“I’m...not too sure. I’m still trying to remember everything before the cycles.”  
“This is my first cycle, so my memory is reasonably clear.” Ezra nodded before replying.  
“I see, this is my second.” After Ezra replied, a teenage guy walked up to them. The teenager turned out to be Joey, the guy who possibly wanted to be a carpenter.  
“Oh, hey guys” Katherine turned towards Joey, waving slightly.  
“Hey Joey”  
“Where’s Amelia? I wanted to say sorry about last night.” Katherine pauses before replying with a saddened voice.  
“...She died Joey”  
“Wait what? The game started already?”  
“Follow me” Joey paled as Katie shifted into a raven and started to fly towards the graveyard. Jay looked worriedly at Joey and Ezra looked upset, remembering that morning. The 3 people followed Kathrine til they got to the graveyard and she shifted back.  
“No way, no fucking way.”  
“I left her some wild flowers that I found.”  
“I didn’t even...I didn’t even get to say goodbye…”  
“Neither did I, both of us were asleep. She didn’t feel pain, killing curse, but no one survives that.” Joey clenched his fists before Ezra looked away from the group.  
“You ever just wonder if all of this will end suddenly and all the people who died this cycle will...stay dead Jay?” Katie glanced at Ezra while Jay looked at Amelia’s grave.  
“Don’t.”  
“We...We can’t afford to think like that. If we start thinking like that, who knows what we would do,” Jay goes silent for a long moment,“You remember how they found her?”  
“The fucker who did this? They’re fucking dead! Dead! Deader than that pig masked fucker from the fog, deader than the fucking nightmare, and I watched the shape rip his limbs off and decapitate him with a punch. When I find the people who did this? They’re gonna wish I was frank.” While Joey was talking, Ezra was looking around the graveyard, confused by the sudden coldness. Katie started to sharpen the antlers on her deer skull before replying.  
“I’m with you there Joey.”  
“Did it get...colder?” Katherine seemed to be the only one who heard Ezra’s comment. Jay didn’t reply, still continuing to look at Amelia’s grave while Joey tried to get Jay to join his group.  
“Hey Jay, you’re helping me right? Let’s head to your store, I wanna see if I can find something.” Ezra shook her head at his comment.  
“Are you guys not listening?” Joey continued, most likely hearing Ezra, but not answering her.  
“You said it could sometimes show things from our past, right?” Ezra sighed and shook her head.  
“I heard you Ezra, and yes, it is a bit colder.” Katie was still looking around worried.  
“Thank you Katie, now, as I was saying.” The conversation Joey and Jay were having was still going on. Jay looked at Joey, seeming a bit confused.  
“Sometimes, why?”  
“I’m looking for something.” Ezra took a few steps away from the grave, muttering something quietly. This seemed to finally get the attention of the whole group.  
“Hey Ez? You okay?”  
“I’m fine, it’s nothing, just...thinking.”  
“Jay? Jay are you listen-” Joey paused and Ezra looked up.  
“You guys do realise I mentioned it being cold for a reason, yes?” Joey clenched his fists harder.  
“Thanks Amelia, the fuckers who ended you? I’m going to kill them, I’m going to kill them all.”


	3. Unhappy Memories

Katherine shifted into a deer, looking at something near Amelia’s grave. Jay nodded before speaking.  
“I’ll take you. I can’t guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for though. It’s...random… like that.” As Jay, Joey, and Kathrine started to walk towards the shop Jay spoke of, Ezra stood by Amelia’s grave for a moment.   
“I only have to find one Jay.” Kathrine knelt down so Joey could get on and turned her head towards him. Ezra turned towards the marketplace before remembering what Jay had said earlier and chasing after the group. Ezra caught up to the group, seeing Joey on Kathrine’s back. Kathrine looked in Ezra’s direction and tilted her head.  
“Hello again! I’m sorry I forgot to ask, are you the one that Jay calls Kate?” Katie nodded her head, most likely nodding to say it’s a possibility.  
“Okay, can we speak once you guys are done with your search? Jay and I were talking and something concerning happened to me from her perspective.” Katie nodded again.  
“Thank you, until then, I’ll join you guys.” Jay led the group to her store. She was quiet, but there was a determined aura around her. Once they arrived, Katie knelt down to let Joey off and shifted back.  
“Thanks Katie”  
“No problem.” After a moment, Ezra started talking to Jay.  
“Jay, I’m gonna take your suggestion from earlier.”  
“What?” Ezra looks towards Katie  
“The thing I asked you about earlier Katie.”  
“Oh.” As this conversation was going on, Joey looked through a window of the shop. As Jay entered the store, she started talking to Joey.  
“So, what are we looking for?”  
“A Reminder” Katie followed the two into the store while Ezra stayed outside.  
“Yea...Jay, do you call me Kate? Or did you mean someone else?.....I’m also looking for an old wolf pelt. Ezra said you told her to see Kate, did you mean me?” Ezra watched everyone from outside, seeing Katie slowly looking around and Joey over by a jar of pins and badges. Ezra looked around the outside of the store making sure everything was okay outside before looking back inside. Katie was watching Joey as he started to shiver. He stared at the jar a bit longer before picking it, a hunting knife, and a leather jacket up. Ezra watched this happen a bit longer before stepping into the store to quietly watch and step in if the situation required it.  
“I didn’t find what I was looking for, but these will do. Amelia? This is for you”  
“Joey, what are you planning?” At Joey’s statement, Ezra made sure she was able to reach the baseball bat on her.  
“Anyways, Jay, do you have an old marble looking wolf pelt?” Katie asked. Ezra continued to watch Joey before he walked out of the store, not even asking if there was some kind of payment required.  
“JOEY!” Ezra yelled, quickly turning and chasing him out of the store. Ezra could barely hear Katie and Jay behind her as she followed Joey. Katie barked to try to get his attention, now in a wolf form.  
“You don’t know where it’s going.”  
“I may not know, but I don’t like how you grabbed that thing then walked out.”  
“Either way, I don’t care. I’m in, whatever this is. The mafia is going down.” Katie seemed to see something following the group as Ezra noticed that it started to get colder.  
“No one hurts or threatens the ones I care about and gets away with it.” Jay looked at Joey when she said this. Then Ezra grabbed Joey’s wrist.  
“What are you doing?” Joey pinned one of the pins to his shirt, under the jacket, with his free hand, then handed one to Jay.  
“It’s time the legion made a return to the land of the living.” Katie shifted from her wolf form back into her human form.  
“Joey what are those?” Joey’s words seemed to confuse Ezra, while his actions confused Katie.  
“Legion? What are you talking about?” Ezra finally let go of Joey’s wrist.  
“Fuck Frank and everything he stands for. These pins are a good reminder of what we did, what I’m gonna do.” Ezra looked between the three other people.  
“Joey?” Jay paused before taking the pin and pinning it to her shirt.  
“I don’t know who that is, but I’m so in.”  
“These pins, we made them out of those smiley faces that were such a big deal in the 90’s. It was our gang’s symbol.” The gang part seemed to confuse Jay a bit.  
“Gang?”  
“Whatever happens, I’m her for you, and if you need, I am your bird's eye view, or me and my dogs can be your pack of hellhounds. Whatever you need.”  
“Anything you can find in my store is at your disposal.” Both Jay and Katie seemed set on the idea of helping Joey, but Ezra didn’t seem sure as Joey continued to talk.  
“Frank always said if someone saw his smiles, they were getting stabbed. These pins are close enough.”  
“Hey Jay, your store is on the north side of town, right?”  
“We were just there”  
“I know” Katie shifted into her wolf form and howled loudly before shifting back,“Like I said, me and my dogs can be your hellhounds if you need Joey.” Ezra clears her throat to get the group's attention then stops.  
“Excuse my language, but what the hell is happening right now? I have now idea what’s going on and I can’t do anything without knowing what I’m walking into”  
“We’re taking down the mafia Ezra”  
“The people who killed Amelia are going to die” As this conversation went on, two dogs ran up to Katie.   
“Do you think it’s gonna be that easy?! With all the new people joining the cycles, you don’t know how many there are. You don’t know how these cycles operate, you don’t know how these people operate, how can you do any of this without a plan?!” Ezra started practically yelling towards the group. She didn’t want them to get hurt like her other groups, she couldn’t go through that again.   
“How’s this for a plan?” Joey started to walk threateningly towards Ezra and she quickly took a few small steps back,“I’m going to find the fucks who stabbed my friend and I’m going to nail one of these pins to their door, then I’m going to stab them, again and again, until their throats are so sore from begging for mercy they can’t physically open their mouths. Then, I’m going to slit their throat and gut them like animals and feel them to Kate’s hellhounds. Speaking of which, have a pin Kate.” Joey proceeded to throw the pin to Katie, her catching it and pinning it to her wolf pelt. This situation was starting to remind Ezra about the fate of her second group in the apocalypse. She shook her head to get those few moments out of her head. She didn’t have time for that right now, she had to make sure her friends stayed safe. Jay muttered something under her breath as Ezra looked towards the ground, trying to think of a way so her friends wouldn’t get themselves hurt. Meanwhile, Joey kept going with his speech.  
“And then, I’m going to come back to Jay’s store until I find my friend's mixtapes.” Ezra was quiet for a few seconds before replying quietly, her voice almost a whisper.  
‘Would Amelia want this?” As Ezra said this, she slowly looked up at the group, clearly seeing the anger and shock in Katie and Joey’s faces.  
“The fuck did you say?”  
“You’ll notice Amelia doesn’t even want a fucking glass of water because she’s dead!”  
“That’s not something you say Ezra, you shouldn’t try to guilt trip people with a dead friend.” That was all it took for Ezra to blow up, her fear for her friends dying turned into anger and frustration. She couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just sit down and talk about the situation before making any harsh decisions.  
“WELL I’M SORRY! I DIDN’T WANT ANYONE TO ASSUME AMELIA WOULD WANT YOU TO KILL HALF OF THE GOD DAMN TOWN AND CALL IT FUCKING REVENGE.” Jay didn’t yell back, but she sounded furious, so did Joey.  
“I don’t know if you remember the rules of this fucking game, but we have to kill half this town anyways. Or do you want them to win?” Then Joey exploded at Ezra.  
“YOU’RE BEING AWFULLY FORGIVING FOR SOMEONE WHO’S SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT THIS SHITHOLE ANYWAYS!” Ezra didn’t yell when she responded this time, but she was shaking and definitely worried about what was going to happen next.  
“Why does it matter if they win? We’ll just keep coming back again and again. How does this stop the cycle? It doesn’t”  
“So you’re saying we shouldn’t go after the mafia?”  
“If the cycle never ends, then trying to stop it is pointless.” Ezra’s words apparently seemed to anger Joey. So much so, that he launched forward with a pin and stabbed Ezra in the arm with it. Katie looked alarmed, but Ezra stood there, shaking even more than before, but just, standing there.  
“Joey!”  
“Here’s a fucking cycle for you. Trust me, I will not be killing innocents. I’ve done enough of that already, but the mafia better watch their fucking backs”  
“Look, tensions are high, but let us do this. I’m...I’m fucking working on breaking the cycle. You wanted to know what my research was on? It’s that” Ezra seems to have snapped out of the short daze she was in while Katie quickly grabbed some antibiotic cream and bandages for Ezra’s arm.  
“Shit! Oh well”  
“Kate, don’t waste your supplies on me” Joey realises what he did before running off.  
“Too late, don’t want it to get infected, don’t know where these pins have been”  
“It won’t matter anyways” Jay watches Joey go, but looks at Katie offended due to the comment.  
“Are you calling my store unsanitary?” Katie sent one of her dogs off in the same direction as Joey before answering.  
“No” Then Ezra started breaking down, going into her panic mode.  
“We’re just gonna be playing this sick person’s game over and over and over again. It’ll never emf. We’ll be stuck here forever-” Ezra is interrupted by Jay before she puts a hand in her hair, trying to calm herself, but it doesn’t work.  
“Ezra, you remember when I mentioned my research?”  
“Your research won’t do anything, that person is watching our every move. They’ll never let us out. They’re watching us, torturing us every time, don’t you see that?”  
“At least it’s something. At least it’s a start.”  
“A start on a false hope, that you hope will go somewhere but it’ll just lead to a dead end”  
“We’ll figure out what we can do and we go from there”  
“...I need to go, I’m sorry” Ezra starts to walk away from the two. She knew in any other kind of situation, she would fully believe what Jay was saying, or at least consider it, but right now she was in her panic mode. She was like this when her family was murdered, one floor apparently made a difference in that case. She was in her panic when her first group found her. Sam was there and was able to calm her down, but Sam was gone now, just another one of those creatures. Ezra could hear someone coming up behind her before turning slightly and stopping for Katie.  
“Ezra, what did you want to talk about?”  
“It happened before you arrived. WE were talking about the bridge and stuff when I guess I blacked out for a second?”  
“Hmmm”  
“Anyways, Jay asked about a theory or something, but I didn’t know what she was talking about. You’ll have to ask Jay for any other details.”  
“Well...come here”  
“I...can’t come with you right now” Katie was looking inside her pack for something, but Ezra didn’t notice.  
“With what just happened, I’m still...I don’t know. I don’t wanna get scared even more. It doesn’t feel right, I shouldn’t get like that” Katie lights the sage she grabbed from her bag.  
“Let the smell carry you back to that moment.”  
“Huh?”Ezra looked at Katie in confusion, but did as she was told, closing her eyes as well. She’s able to see and hear the conversation with Jay, still not seeing the part where she had apparently mentioned a theory. As Ezra was experiencing this, Katie lit some lavender and oleander,  
“Let the herbs reveal what was lost” Ezra’s breathing finally goes back to normal as she’s looking a the moment when all of the sudden, the conversation jumps to the theory. She can hear her voice clearly and sees herself talking while this is going on. Alongside the memories of the conversation, she was also able to remember more of her past.  
“What do you hear?”  
“I-I hear my voice”  
“What are you saying?”  
“It’s….a theory about this place”  
“Good, keep it clear in your mind.  
“Okay?”  
“When I snuff the herbs, the memory will stay, clear and concise in your mind” Katie snuffs the remaining herbs and Ezra opens her eyes before looking at the other two a little bit away.  
“Something is wrong, go check on them” Ezra watched Katie walk over to the other two before quietly stepping away and making her way towards the river, talking to herself. As she arrives at the river she shakes her head, staring at the crystal water.  
“This is crazy, how did this thing or whatever it is join me? Is that what you would call it?” Ezra pauses before continuing talking to herself,“What if this thing infects the others?! What if, oh gods, what if it doesn’t leave each cycle. No, Exra, get ahold of yourself. Nothing bad is going to happen, everything will be fine. Joey, Jay, Kate, and everyone else is going to be fine. You just need to...stay away from them! Just....stay away from your friends, that’ll keep them safe?”Ezra looks around before making the final decision to lock herself in her house,“Okay, it’s not too far away. Once I get there, I can just lock myself inside and not go out...yes, that’ll work.”Ezra heads towards her home, her goal being to keep everyone safe from whatever entity may be affecting her.


	4. Pay Attention to Your Surroundings

Ezra did what she told herself the previous day. She locked herself in her house, refusing to leave for any reason. She didn’t want to cause harm to any of her friends. Ezra was able to cast a spell where she could watch the town, when she spotted Katie in her wolf form walking towards Elber before shifting human.  
“Hi, I’m Kate, you know where Ezra’s house is?” Elber got spooked at the sudden appearance of Katie shifting.  
“Agk! Oh! I’m-Hi, I’m Elber, no I don’t think I know where Ezra’s house is, why?”  
“I figured I would go over and tell her about the deaths. I haven’t seen her all day. So I’ma guess she’s at her house.”  
“Oh...,” Elber looked down at his feet for a moment, “Well, I could probably figure it out. She did offer to house me yesterday.”  
“Oh,” Katie puts a hand oh her chin,“She went towards the river yesterday, let’s look around there first?” Ezra stopped watching the two people, figuring they would be there soon. She continued to sit in the corner of her house, all the lights off except the candle on the table. Half an hour later, she could hear people outside, assuming it was Katie and Elber. She heard one of them walking up to the door and them knocking before Katie’s voice rang out  
“You coming Elber?”  
“Ah, I probably should.” Ezra heard the knock, but she didn’t get up from the corner. Instead, she muttered a spell under her breath to unlock the door. She heard Katie open the door and call out to her.  
“Ezra? You here?” Ezra wanted to respond to Katie and just talk to her, but she didn’t want her to get hurt. She figured if Katie really wanted to talk, she would be found. The footsteps of Elber and Katie were getting closer to where Ezra was.  
“Ezra, you okay in here?”  
“M-maybe?” Ezra finally replied, her voice a whisper,“Why are you here?” Katie lit up the tips of her fingers with a spell and made her way over to Ezra.  
“Hey, I haven’t seen you all day, I thought you might want to know who died today.”  
“Well, we both came to check up on you and tell you about...yeah, that” Ezra looked up at the other two.  
“Someone died?”  
“Two someone’s actually” Elber held up two fingers  
“Yeah, sorry, I have no tact when it comes to emotions, lived in a forest most of my life, and three actually”  
“Make up your minds, please’  
“...Who was the third” Elber was obviously confused, but Katie leaned over to Elber to whisper. Ezra’s face was emotionless, but there was definitely worry surrounding her. After Elber and Katie finished their conversation, Katie turned towards Ezra.  
“Okay, first, Yammy, they were voted out. They were feral and jumped off a cliff.”  
“Interesting.” Ezra slowly got up from the corner, placing her arms on the walls behind her to support her body. She was a bit shaky as she stood up, still using the walls for support.  
“Second, Kirsten was killed by the dark cutting curse, she was part of the occult.”  
“Dark cutting curse...work of a serial killer I assume?”  
“That’s the most likely scenario.” Ezra looked at the ground as Katie said this.  
“And lastly...you might want to sit down”  
“So that’s who I missed!” Elber muttered and snapped his fingers.  
“It’s who you guys were whispering about, correct?” Ezra started making her way towards the kitchen, still leaning against the wall slightly. She turned on the lights quickly so the other two could see. Katie took a seat at the table while Elber stood by the entrance of the kitchen and Ezra stood by the counter.  
“Yes”  
“We might as well all sit then, it doesn’t seem like good news in the slightest.” Ezras starts to grab something on the counter before Elber says something aloud that shocked Ezra.  
“Which means the person who was sacrificed would be Weast, right?” He looked at KAte, eyes asking for confirmation.  
“......and they say I have no tact”  
“Weast? Mom? What do you mean sacrificed?!” at Elber’s words, Ezra quickly turned towards them before leaning back against the counter, gripping the edge.  
“I-,”Elber started before looking between the two women,“Was I not supposed to say that?”  
“Shit, okay, the occult used the mind wipe curse, and sacrificed Weast to the god of death.” Ezra stopped moving completely for a moment, processing the information about her ´mother's´death. She slowly started to slide down onto the floor.  
“I-I’m so sorry Ezra.”  
“I-I…...this is all my fault isn’t it? What the hell did you do?! What did you make me do?!?!” Her eyes were staring at a wall and she didn’t seem to be talking to anyone in the room. At least, nobody Elber and Katie could see. Ezra’s words shocked Katie.  
“Ezra? Ezra what happened? What are you talking about?”  
“Earlier, earlier right? No, yesterday, yes, yes it was yesterday. You remember the memory thing Katie?” As Ezra was talking, she looked up at Katie with a worried expression.  
“Ezra, let me stop you there, you had nothing to do with this, I’ve been flying around town all day and never saw you, but yes, I remember.”  
“No, no you don’t understand Kate.” Ezra shook her head multiple times.  
“I remember you talking to yourself and walking away while I was bandaging Joey, you seemed...disturbed.”  
“It has to be here, that’s why all this is happening. If I had checked for a bite, this might have been different, nobody would have died, my group would have been safe. Or maybe it was the store with the alarm. Maybe that’s what triggered It, that has to be where I got this thing.” Ezra doesn’t realize she’s sharing her thoughts of her past from before the cycles, something she would want to forget.  
“Oh shit, this is my fault”  
“A bite?” Ezra was able to look away from the wall for a second to glance at Elber, seeing a sharp light in his eyes, this wasn’t like Elber. Ezra didn’t respond, going back to the events in her head, barely listening to Katie and Elber.  
“Her past. When I got to you to remember the part of yesterday, you remembered more than just yesterday, didn’t you?”  
“I gathered,” Elber seemed to quickly dismiss Katie, walking over to Ezra,“What do you mean a bite!?” Elber’s voice was hard. All the traces of stuttering and nervousness from earlier were now gone. Ezra looked up at Elber, her eyes showing fear but not entirely because of him.  
“The bite?”  
“What...bite?” Ezra looked back down to try to remember the bite he could be talking about.  
“Bite, the bite...that one...no, possibly?”  
“Is it ‘human’?” During the interrogation of Ezra, Katie shifted into her wolf form, stepping over to Ezra and laying down next to her, most likely in an attempt to comfort Ezra.  
“...that d-depends on your definition of h-human. Shells of themselves, maybe. There was almost a second, but It did something.” Katie appeared to notice the light spell from earlier became lights in her eyes as she didn’t dispel it. While moments ago, Elber would have been fascinated by Katie, his attention was on Ezra.  
“Did it actually bite you?”  
“No, no it didn’t bite me as far as I know, but that was the second one, all I remember is blinking then being in the forest surrounding the town. It’s...similar to the situation with the theory I shared.”  
“Second one?” Elber was ignoring everything else besides Ezra. With Katie laying down next to Ezra, she seemed to have calmed down a bit, finally being able to not stutter.  
“Yes, sorry, almost second one”  
“Were. You. At. Any. Point. Bitten?”  
“No…...an old group member was. We didn’t check for bites, it was a dumb decision on our part.” Elber seemed to relax at her statement, the hard light in his eyes faded, before realising how close he had gotten to Ezra in his interrogation and immediately fumbling back a few steps with a squawk.  
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-! I was just-!” Ezra put one of her hands up to stop Elber’s rambling.  
“No! No, you’re fine. It seems we’re...pretty similar, especially with what you seem to know. Bites can be dangerous.” Katie shifted back and looked at Ezra, slightly worried.  
“You better now?” Ezra nodded slightly before answering.  
“For now, I’ll be fine…...um, you guys can stay here and we can talk a bit more, I don’t mind.”  
“Okay,” Katie looked into her pack and pulled out some jerky,“Anyone want some jerky?”Ezra seemed surprised and excited. She perked up and seemed like a little kid,“Jerky?” Elber flopped on the floor, tucking his legs up him.  
“You have jerky?” He seemed amazed at the fact she had it.  
“Yup, doesn’t take as long because of magic, specifically a summon charm on the water in the meat after it’s salted.” Katie handed Ezra and Elber each a piece of jerky.  
“You know how to make jerky?!” Elber’s eyes are wide,“You’re sharing jerky?!?!”  
“Thank you Katie! I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve had some!” Katie laughed at their comments.  
“Like I said earlier, I lived in the forests of Kentucky for most of my life, yes I can make jerky.”  
“But you’re sharing it!”  
“I am of the Osage tribe” Ezra attempted to elbow El in the side, but wasn’t close enough to actually do so.  
“El, don’t complain, if we’re good she’ll give us more” Ezra was genuinely happy, she was able to have one of the things back from when she was younger, or at least something similar. Elber still seemed flabbergasted at the idea of sharing jerky while Ezra started to nibble on the piece she was given.   
“And...yea? I have a whole deers worth of jerky. This pack has expansion charms.” Ezra wasn’t focused on anything but the jerky she was eating. “Not like it’s beef jerky. That I can’t get.”  
“I-I…” Ezra looked up at Elber to see him look at the piece of jerky he was given, lick his lips, then taking a small nibble,“Mmmmmmmmmm~!” Elber’s whole posture changed and he started to munch on the rest as well.  
“Here,” Katie transfigured a rock into a plate and piled the jerky onto it,“There, have at it!” A spark of happiness appeared in Ezra’s eyes.  
“Rwally?”  
“Oh my good god that’s cute,” Katie blushed a bit at Ezra’s reaction,“Yeah, have at it.” Elber’s eyes went wide as he frantically looked between the women and the jerky, his eyes shining with hope. Katie saw what Elber did and started speaking to him.  
“Go ahead, or do you want your own plate?”  
“But what about-” Elber briefly choked before remembering to swallow,“but what about the others? Is it alright not to share this with everyone?” Elber’s eyes betrayed his wants and he couldn’t seem to look away from the plate. Katie found this amusing and giggled at his actions.  
“I can make more, I can become a wolf and I have 2 massive pitbulls. Eat.” Katie showed them a picture of Lady and Blu, her pitbulls. Elber didn’t take any more prompting and quickly grabbed exactly ⅓ of the pile of jerky while Ezra paused after watching the other two.  
“I hope I’m not interrupting the moment, but I would like to talk about my past before I possibly forget it again. I can talk to you about what happened while you eat or when you’re done, your choice.”  
“I say go ahead and eat while you’re talking, but that means you eat too.” Elber nodded in agreement, his mouth still full of Jerky. Ezra nodded in understanding and grabbed a piece of jerky.  
“Let’s start with what I told you guys already.”


	5. Memories of a Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to learn a bit about Ezra's past

“I heard you say something that sounded like you were talking about a Wendigo, but I could be wrong.”  
“What’s a Wendigo?”  
“Wendigo?” Ezra took a bite of her jerky, letting Katie explain.  
“The old story of the Wendigo is that...I forget the tribe name, but still. A tribe of skinwalkers was cursed for their gluttony by being locked out from the rest of the world one winter and was pushed to eat one another. That is why a wendigo is always hungry and when it eats, it grows in proportion to the meal, thus never feeling satisfied, this is also why wendigos are so thin and boney. They are also associated with decay, and the forgotten. They get the deer/man look from the fact that they were a tribe of skinwalkers that wore the skin of slain animals and became it.” Katie pulled out a picture that looks like it was cut out of a textbook,“I am a skinwalker, but as long as I don’t eat human meat I won’t become a wendigo.”  
“Never seen anything that looked like that.”  
“It’s...surprisingly not...worrisome? I’m not sure.”  
“If not consumed, do people bitten by one become one?”  
“No, the only way to become a wendigo is to be a skinwalker and eat humans. You have to be invited into a tribe to be a skinwalker”  
“Whelp, we don’t need to worry about bites here then, so that’s a small plus,”Katie definitely looked nervous, seeming to know something.  
“I might know what you’re talking about if it’s not a wendigo”  
“Mmm,” Elber nodded in agreement before swallowing,“Anyways, back to Ezra’s story. From the way you talk, I’m guessing you’re a first gen?”  
“Yes, I am...I was in my teenage years when it all happened.”  
“What was it like? Before the outbreak?”  
“...Even before the outbreak, there was chaos everywhere”  
“That was true from where I’m from too. More like when, but still”  
“Well, when are you from Katie?”  
“It was 1928, I was hunting in the forests of Kentucky. Then my dogs and I were in the forest here.” Elber blinked, probably going through the calculations in his head.  
“So a good two centuries ago, give or take a few years”  
“Sounds right, anyways, I guess we can talk about my groups now?”  
“Yeah, sorry”  
“No, you’re fine, don’t apologize” Katie shifted into her wolf form as Elber put another piece of jerky into his mouth. Ezra smiled at Katie before starting her story from before the cycles.  
“So, me and my group had to head to a store for supplies, we we’re still fine with the amount we had, but an injury to the whole group or us camping in the base for a few days would drain the supplies we had left. We figured the alarms wouldn’t work anymore, due to people not maintaining them and all, so we didn’t worry, until they went off that is.” Katie tilted her head, as if to ask a question, and Ezra continued. “We were almost surrounded but there was an opening, so we fled. WE were too worried about the possibility of getting followed by the hoard, so we didn’t check for bites or scratches until we got back to the base. When we got back, we entered one of the main rooms that had a door that could be locked or unlocked from either side if you used a key. Sam, our leader, started checking everyone for scratches and bites. She got to Thomas, the dude I mentioned earlier, and realised he had been bitten. The group was divided on what our next steps of action should be, but it got violent quick. I left the room and locked the door, Sam gave me an extra key so I could go and gather supplies or other things on my own.”  
“Smart,” Elber said before his mouth was again preoccupied by eating jerky.  
“Mhm, I left for a bit to walk around and let them and myself calm down for a bit before returning to hear them all…...turned. I guess they couldn’t hurt each other, even in the end. I left the door locked, grabbed a pack, and gathered all the supplies I could before I left. I figured it was best to leave the city and head to the outskirts. You know how dangerous the cities are with a group, but without them, you’re as good as dead when you get spotted.” Ezra directed that last comment towards Elber, since he had supposedly been through something similar to what she had. Elber nodded while Katie’s eyes glowed dimmer.  
“I was able to live out there for a few years before another group appeared. They needed shelter, I didn’t see anything wrong with it, so I let them stay with me for a bit.” Elber made a face at Ezra’s words. “I ended up joining them, since groups are easier to protect yourself in, which obviously wasn’t a good idea. There was so much more arguing, so many threats, a lot of possible sacrifices of people, stealing from each other, and the list goes on. They didn’t trust each other, that was their downfall. We ran into another group, some turned, some fought back, I tried to make a break for it, but that didn’t work out.” The glow in Katie’s eyes turned a red. “A guy from the other group grabbed me. Made me watch everyone who was resisting die. Then they brought me back with them for…...entertainment. AS my luck would decide, zombies found a way into their base and I was able to flee. I took that choice and grabbed what I could before getting as far away as I could.” Katie’s eyes shifted from a bright red to a dark blood red and Ezra paused.  
“I was able to survive for another two years before the almost bite. I got surrounded by a hoard and was ready to accept my ‘death’. One of the zombies got close enough to almost bite me before I blinked and I appeared in the forest. I don’t know what happened between those moments, but I knew it had to do with the entity I now address as It in some kinds of way.” Katie’s eyes switched back to white and she shifted back into her human form. Ezra felt like something was wrong, whether it be emotions or thoughts.  
“Katie? You okay?”  
“I’m sorry you had to go through that” Ezra was worried about Katie now.  
“It was nothing after my family was basically murdered, Kate. I’m fine for now, but you seem...angry?”  
“Not at you, for you. Let’s just say, native Americans and entertainment is something I know about and hate.”  
“...I think I understand,” Ezra turned her attention to Elber as she looked over at him. “Are you okay after all...that?” Ezra was worried she possibly upset the guy. Elber’s body language was stiffer than normal, but nothing like what it had been when he was questioning Ezra about the bite.  
“I’m fine...It’s not the worst I’ve come across, but it’s definitely not something I’d wish on anyone. I’m glad you’re out of there, but...I thought you said you and Amelia were sisters?” His confusion was palpable.  
“Ah yes, the sister thing, and I supposed the mom thing too...since we’re basically stuck here, we’ve basically ‘adopted’ other people as family, although some might actually be family.” Ezra became a bit more relaxed knowing Elber was okay.  
“...What’s ‘adopted’?”  
“I would consider it asking people to join our ‘families’ in this cycled area”  
“Am I adopted?” Katie looked fully confused at Ezra’s words.  
“To take someone into your family for the rest of your live”  
“I would say the rest of our lives or until the cycles are over”  
“Well,” Katie starts, they all notice that most of the jerky is gone at this point,“I got to go, hunting to do, people to jumpscare, stuff like that. You two can keep the rest of it, have a nice day!” Katie shifts into her raven form and gets ready to leave.  
“Goodbye Katie! Feel free to visit anytime!” Katie caws once before flying away, leaving Ezra and Elber alone. They stood and watched Katie fly away before Ezra turned to Elber.  
“You can have the rest of the jerky if you want, it seems like you like it a lot,” Ezra smiled. Elber’s head snapped to look at Ezra as his eyes practically sparkled.  
“Really?!”  
“Sure, I don’t mind! Go ahead and take it!” Elber eagerly scooped up what was left on the plate and added it to his small pile before taking a piece of paper and setting it all in the middle and carefully wrapping it up.  
“I should probably save the rest for later. I know Kat said she’d be willing to share more, but I don’t want to ask that of her.”  
“Save it for later, then you can enjoy it at a better moment!”  
“That too”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hopefully, for the next chapter, we are gonna change the main narrating of Ezra to narrating Katie for a chapter  
> Stay safe pals!


	6. A Shift is Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dears and queers! As promised, this chapter is more focused on narrating Katie this time, although it does kind of shift towards the end, hope you enjoy!

Katie decided to make her way to Joey’s in the afternoon. She arrived and started cawing loudly to get Joey’s attention before landing on a window sill and shifting back into her human form.  
“Hey Joey”  
“Morning” It was obvious he hadn’t slept well, but the mask he had shown Jay and Katie sat finished on the desk.  
“I have food and it’s like, four. Not morning” She gave Joey some jerky, having a bit left in her pack after the trip to Ezra’s place.  
“Thanks...anyone else get murdered last night?”  
“A mafia died from the serial killer, the feral was going to be hung but jumped off a cliff, and Weast died” Katie gave Blue some raw venison as he was being a good boy, staying with Joey all night and day as well as being a good emotional support dog.  
“Did you say one of those murdering fucks bit it?”  
“Yup”  
“Who was it?”  
“It was Kirsten. Dark cutting curse, bled out slowly”  
“Wait…...Amelia’s own family?” Katie nods at Joey’s question.  
“That’s…” Joey clenches his fists, his knucklse turning white,“At least she died in a way she deservered.”  
“Oh, by the way, if we stop by Ezra’s place, don’t mention Weast, it was brutal. They used a mind wipe curse on Weast then sacrificed her to the god of death, ritually, not pretty.”  
“Shit”  
“Yeah”  
“Poor Ez. Maybe now she’ll see why those fucks have to die”  
“Yeah, El and I went over and told her, I gave them jerky, learned Ezra’s past, and both of them almost cried because neither of them have had jerky in years”  
“I mean, I went the equivalent of 28 years without food, so I can relate”  
“I lived in a forest my entire life, deer is my life, with the occasional bear”  
“There was a scary Russian lady in the fog, we called her the huntress, sometimes she’d hunt survivors wearing an actual near head. She was actually one of the less psycho ones, at least she didn’t make them suffer”  
“I never trusted myself with a bear shift. Too much can make a skinwalker go mad. So...where we headed boss?”  
“Dunno, I’m goin to Amelia’s grave”  
“I gave you a ride last time, it’s your turn,” Katie shifted into her raven form and lands on Joey’s shoulder. Joey chuckled and shook his head fondly.  
“You know, you’re pushing it. Let’s go” Katie nodded and cawed in agreement. As the two go closer to the graveyard, Katie flew off and came back with some wild flowers before shifting human and placing them by Amelia’s grave.  
“Here you go Amelia, some fresh flowers”  
“Sup Amy, I dunno if you prefer me to call you that, but you’re kind of dead, so I can’t ask”  
“It’s cold, I think she might be here”  
“I’m making new friends…...we’re going to avenge you” Katie stepped towards Joey and placed a hand on his shoulder before adding onto his statement.  
“One by one” The two stood there in silence before Katie took a step back.  
“C’mon Joey” Katie said softly, then shifting into a deer.  
“Alright” Joey hopped on and the two made their way to Jay’s shop. They arrived, Katie shifted back for the moment, and went inside, not seeing Jay yet.  
“Jay? Ya here?” Katie looked around the shop before shifting into the raven and flying up into the rafters.  
‘I’m gonna scare the shit out of Jay’ Jay came down into the shop with a fake smile on her face before Katie jumped down from the rafters as a human, landing softly.  
“Hey~” Jay took a sharp intake of breath and her whole body flinched, which nearly sent her off-balance.  
“God Almighty-. Why must you keep doing that” Katie snickered.  
“The reactions are funny” A hint of a real smile on Jay’s face showed she wasn’t actually mad.  
“It is not” Katie put a finger up.  
“Just a little. Joey was here, don’t know where he disappeared off to. Okay then...off to Narnia I go”  
“Oh well, I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. I’ll see you later then” Jay waved goodbye to Katie as she shifted into a raven and took off towards Ezra’s house. She peaked on the window and cawed to let Ezra know she was there. Katie saw Ezra quickly get up from the table she was sitting at to come over and open the window.  
“Hello Katie!” Katie shifted into her human form, still sitting on the window sill.  
“Sup”  
“You can sit somewhere else ya know, there are plenty of chairs around”  
“Yeah, but the window is comfy” With that comment, Katie got up and moved to an actual chair near the table. Ezra smiles and sits back down in her chair at the table, most likely to continue working on what looked like a sketch of someone.  
“So, have you talked to anyone recently?”  
“Gave Joey food, flowers for Amelia, scared Jay…...that’s about it”  
“Is...Joey doing okay? As in better than yesterday? He kinda, spooked me, though I guess I probably shouldn’t have yelled at him in the first place”  
“Not really, didn’t look like he slept much, and imminently went to Amelia’s grave”  
“...I’m worried about him”  
“Yea, me too” Something outside seems to catch Katie’s attention as she stared out the window for a minute. Ezra glanced out said window from her seat to see someone running around outside. Katie continued to look out the window for the next few minute before turning back to see Ezra working on her sketch.  
“Sorry, so where were we?”  
“Hm? Oh, we were talking about Joey, I was gonna ask if you thought It could possibly work with or if it could affect other people” Katie thought about the question for a minute before answering.  
“Medium’s probably”  
“Maybe, but I don’t know what the entity is”  
“Don’t know, ‘m tired” Katie shifted and went into the rafters as a raven before falling asleep. Ezra continued to work on her sketch before taking a break and getting up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to tell you guys now, there will be self harm in the next chapter. It'll be towards the beginning of the chapter a little bit after Ezra wakes up in the graveyard. Try ti stay safe my dears and queers!


	7. The Truth is Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dears and queers! Just a reminder, today's chapter does have a bit of self harm in it. There is a short message in parentheses right before that bit, so if you don't want to read it, you just need to skip the 1st paragraph after that and maybe the 2 short parts after it. Stay safe guys!
> 
> I also want to thank Res, know as deuynndrabbles, for helping we with the self harm bit!

Ezra left her house that night to stay at the graveyard. She brought flowers with her to leave at Amelia’s and Weast’s graves. After she set the flowers at their graves, she found a bench to lay down on and sleep for the night. For some reason, she didn’t feel comfortable in her house.  
Ezra woke up from her sleep on the bench the next moment and realised something was different. She made sure the flowers she left were still there. Then she walked around town, making sure everything and everyone was still there. She noticed Masky was missing. Ezra searched for her ‘adopted’ daughter and realised, Masky was gone, the occult had killed her while Ezra was asleep.  
Ezra was almost broken, her family here was being killed one by one. Would she be the next one to die from the occult? This was too much for her to handle, even if everyone killed came back the following cycle. Ezra ran to her house and locked the door. She rushed to her room and grabbed her dagger from a drawer. She threw off her black jacket and sat on the floor, looking at the dagger.  
(Just a heads up, these next two paragraphs are self harm, mostly the first one, but take caution if you do read them or just skip over it)  
Ezra plunged the danger into her hand then dragged it across her palm, watching her deep red blood trickle down her wrist. She bit her lip to stifle her moans of pain and gripped the hilt of the dagger tighter. The grip was hard enough to leave marks on her palm from her fingernails, being longer than in the apocalypse with no need to cut them. Her black hair fell forward into her lap when she did this. The ink black waves cascaded over her shoulders. Ezra pulled the dagger out quickly, choosing to trace her name on the back of her hand using the tip of the dagger. She inhaled sharply as she continued to make the harsh jagged cuts. She ran out of room on her hand so she continued to make the marks, moving up her arm.  
When she was satisfied with her pain, she thrust the knife to the side, covered in blood. Her hand was soaked with the viscous liquid, oozing down her arm and staining her green crop top.  
“You deserve this, you fucking useless bitch.  
You could have helped them,” Ezra muttered under her breath. (That is the end of the action, there is still a small bit of talking about it, but it doesn’t go into details after this)  
Ezra got up to clean the wounds and the dagger, not realising that Katie was still there and the noise the dagger made had woken her up. Katie jumped down from the rafters after shifting human.  
“The fuck did you do?!” Ezra jumped at the sudden appearance of Katie.  
“WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!”  
“I slept in your rafters...remember? More importantly, what did you do to your arm and hand?” Ezra looked away and grabbed her injured arm.  
“O-oh…What I did doesn’t matter” Katie grabbed Ezra’s injured arm, being as gentle as she could.  
“Jesus, Ez…...why?” Ezra went silent, not wanting to answer the question as Katie grabbed her bandages and ointment. Joey stuck his head through one of the open windows.  
“Is everything alright?” Joey’s eyes widened at the sight of Ezra’s arm and Ezra jumped again.  
“I can’t lose you guys too…”  
“W-What are you doing here Joey?” Katie started to apply ointment and bandage Ezra’s arm and hand.  
“I heard you both yelling” Katie glanced over at Joey.  
“She’s worse than you are” Ezra turned her head towards Katie.  
“No I’m not, and I told you, I’m fine,” even with that statement, Ezra continued to let Katie bandage her arm.Katie shook her head.  
“How y’all survived without me…” Katie started muttering about infections and idiot people while Joey made a funny face.  
“Hmmm, you guys are kinda close, huh?” Ezra looked down and started thinking about something while Katie glanced at the teenager again.  
“Shut up and get over here so I can redo yours, idiot child”  
“I haven’t seen two girls look at each other like that since Meg and Susie” Katie went back to wrapping Ezra’s arm while Ezra ignored the comment.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking bout, pineapple head” Joey took off, yelling something about Katie being a ‘Tsun’ while Katie muttered about idiot children and losing hands.  
“Katie?”  
“I understand you can deal with infection, but still...you shouldn’t have to”  
“It doesn’t matter now I guess, that place is gone to me unless we find a way back”  
“Yeah…”  
“Anyways, I’m glad it’s gone. No need to worry about groups and betrayal now” Ezra attempts to smile, but it doesn’t seem to work. Katie looked at Ezra, upset but understanding.  
“I may have lived in a forest my whole life, but I know about feeling hopeless and out of control”  
“Well, at least you understand, that always helps. I do need to talk to you though, since you slept inside my house last night,” Katie’s face turns a light shade of red.  
“Yeah...sorry bout that”  
“OH! No! It’s not about that...it’s um……...it’s…about Masky” Katie’s face shows sadness.  
“I know where this is going. You don’t have to say anything, I figured something happened by this,” Katie makes a gesture towards Ezra’s arm she had just finished wrapping.  
“Yeah…...She kinda felt like a daughter or niece to me,” Katie moved into the kitchen.  
“I’ma make some tea, want any?”  
“Tea? Um, sure! Maybe something peppermint if you have any?” Katie glanced back at Ezra.  
“It’s real herbs! Not that pre-packaged crap”  
“That’s even better to be honest” Ezra got up from the chair she sat in so Katie could wrap her arm and followed the other woman. KAtie reached into her pack and pulled out a teakettle and some herbs.  
“I got peppermint, lavender, oolong, chi, dried peach, and some dried blueberries. What do you want?” Ezra thought about it before answering.  
“Maybe peppermint and lavender?”  
“Okay, probably want some chi in there so it’s not so sweet. We shouldn’t need honey with this,” Ezra leaned against a wall in the kitchen and watched Katie make the tea. She lit the fire in the stove, put the herbs in the kettle and added water, letting it sit until the kettle kissed.  
“So, while we wait……” Katie shifted into her wolf form so she and Ezra could cuddle and make Ezra feel better. Ezra slid down the wall to sit on the floor, making it easier to cuddle.  
“Thanks Katie, you really do know how to make people feel better”  
“Mmrr” Katie’s eyes glowed a pale blue. As Ezra started to feel better, she started petting Katie. This action led to Katie rolling over and demanding belly rubs, which made Ezra laugh but did it anyways.  
“You really like this, don’t cha?” Katie seemed to smile, or what looked like a smile to Ezra. She couldn’t really tell due to Katie’s skull currently being a skull.  
“Woof” Ezra stopped talking for a minute to decide her next words  
“You know, you’re really cute Katie” Katie rolled over to stand up and looked at Ezra in the eyes before speaking, surprising Ezra  
“Thanks. And yes, I can talk like this, not much,” Katie shifted into her human form while she spoke. “I can part shift my throat to speak if needed, takes a lot out of me though.” Katie started grinning like a bobcat. Ezra continued to sit on the floor, but began to blush.  
“W-what? Why are you grinning?”  
“Cause I love the surprised reaction people give me when I do that. I think you’re cute too” Katie sprintedoff, leaping out the window and shifted into a raven in mid air. Ezra continued to sit there confused and flustered.  
“W-what just? Did she? Huh?” After Ezra’s momentary confusion, she quickly got up from the floor and grabbed her jacket before racing out the door, forgetting all about the tea.


	8. The Ship has Set Sail

Ezra left the door wide open, not noticing Katie flying into the house through the window. She started to talk to herself, going through her thoughts aloud.  
“When we first met, she had to leave and head home, a cave right? So I’m looking for a cave. There should be one somewhere in the forest if I’m not mistaken.” Ezra rushed towards the edge of the forest, looking for any sign of a path or travel route and followed it. Ezra was able to find the cave eventually, the entrance being covered by some branches and leaves, although not entirely. Ezra made her way into the cave and walked around, looking for Katie.  
“Katie? Are you here? I wanted to make sure you were okay, you just ran off all the sudden” Ezra didn’t see Katie arrive, spooking her when Katie spoke.  
“Wha-?” After the small spook, Ezra smiled and rushed over to the other woman.  
“Katie!”  
“Wooaaahhhh, calm yourself, what are you doing here?” Katie muttered something, Ezra barely being able to hear it.  
“I was looking for you, when we first meet, you mentioned something about a cave near the town” Katie’s face shifted from confusion to shock.  
“You shouldn’t have been able to fins it, the entrance is covered by branches and leaves” Somebody dropped a piece of paper, alerting Katie of another presence as she jumped.  
“THE FUCK?!” The yelling from Katie made Ezra flinch slightly.  
“Huh?”  
“HOW DID YOU FIND MY PLACE YOU PINEAPPLE SMELLING FUCK?!”  
“U-um, Katie? Are you alright?” Katie picked up a page that seems to have been dropped on the floor and showed it to Ezra. It was a sketch of a small ship that said ‘ship it’.  
“Lezbeehonest”  
“Pineapple bastard”  
“K-Katie?”  
“It’s Joey, I call him that cause he constantly smells like pineapples”  
“At least I don’t smell like a walking roast buffet”  
“And herbs, don’t forget that...and no more jerky for you” Ezra took a small step back away from the two, not wanting to be in the middle of a fight with these two.  
“Ezra, honey, you’re fine. Joey, leave,” It takes Katie a moment to realize what she said, only whispering “Oops.” Joey slowly walked out with a shit eating grin.  
“She’s in lesbians with you,” He whispered. Katie snapped her fingers and pointed at Joey.  
“Lady...Dinner,” Joey ran from the dog and started screaming.  
“FUCKING TSUNDERE BITCH”  
“Fuck you pineapple bastard”  
“You need to calm down Katie, that was a bit much to tell Lady to eat him” Ezra stepped towards Katie again.  
“He’ll be fine, she’ll follow him home and sleep with Blu tonight”  
“So she’s not gonna kill him?”  
“Nah...so, why are you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but……”  
“No, I get it…...You ran off suddenly and I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Right after Ezra said this, Joey came running back into the cave with Lady hot on his heels.  
“BECAUSE SHE’S CRUSHING ON YOU AND DOESN’T KNOW IT YET,” Joey continued to run a few laps around the cave before running back out the entrance, meanwhile Katie decided to ignore him.  
“Oh...yeah...I’m fine”  
“Are you sure? You just ran out and forgot the...THE TEA!” Ezra looked slightly worried, thinking the tea was still on the stove at home.  
“Ahhhhh…I went back to put the tea in a pitcher and you were gone…...and yeah...I just realized what I had said and got embarrassed”  
“Why’d ya get embarrassed? Calling someone else cute should be nothing to worry or get embarrassed about,” Katie took off the deer skull she always wore, Ezra now being able to see more than just below her nose. As it turned out, Katie was blushing.  
“I’m just used to runnin’ from my emotions, I guess living in a forest most of your life does that to ya,” in the background, you can faintly hear Joey screaming.  
“WHAT ABOUT RUNNING FROM THE ANIMALS?!”  
“I guess it can be, sooooo,” Ezra placed one of her hands up on the side of her neck. Katie ignores Joey’s screaming and decides, fuck it, and leans in for a kiss thinking ‘please don’t hate me, please don’t let this fuck up our friendship’. The hand on Ezra’s neck dropped down to her side. A second later, a faint ‘Ca-chick’ can be heard. Ezra stands in the same spot in shock of what just happened, blushing like crazy, while Katie turns to Joey with a murderous look on her face before she shifts into a wolf.  
“Abawha-?” Katie’s eyes glowed red and Ezra faintly heard Joey calling out to her before he realized she wouldn’t be any help.  
“Hey Ez? Can dogs climb trees?............Ahhhhh shit,” Ezra stood there dazed, not realizing what was going on.  
“Run bitch,” Joey threw a knife at Katie, just barely knocking her with the blade to trigger feral frenzy and sprinted out with all his enhanced speed. KAtie sprinted after Joey as a 4 ft tall on all 4 legs, basically dire wolf. Ezra snapped out of her daze to see what was happening before sprinting after the two.  
“JOEY! KATIE! COME BACK HERE!”  
“YOU BETTER DESTROY THAT PICTURE PINEAPPLE BITCH,” Katie yelled after Joey, using extra energy to yell while sprinting anyways. Ezra sprinted faster, trying to catch up with Katie.  
“KATIE STOP!” Katie heard Ezra yelling her name and stopped. She turned around and ran back to Ezra before shifting human again.  
“Next time I see him, he is dead meat,” Ezra hugged Katie in an attempt to calm her down.  
“I’m fine,” Then Katie muttered,“but Joey won’t be after I’m done with him,” Ezra shook her head and smiled.  
“Just calm down...Do you wanna head back and get some tea?”  
“Yeah, I could use it right now...I need to grab something first,” Katie walked back in the direction of the cave while Ezra stayed put, leaning against a nearby tree. When Katie came back, she was already shifted as a deer.  
“Should I...get on?”  
“Don’t think I’ve given you a ride yet, so yeah, hop on,” Katie knelt down onto the ground so it was easier for Ezra to get on.  
“Giving her a ride already, huh?” Ezra got on Katie’s back, attempting to ignore Joey’s comments.  
“Stop straining yourself by talking”  
“And you’re her first?” Joey wigged his eyebrows while Katie glared at the so-called ‘pineapple bastard’ with her eyes glowing red.  
“Katie, ignore him, please?”  
“My antlers are sharpened, leave,” Katie started walking towards Ezra’s house while Joey followed them, a walking a bit behind them.  
“C’monnnnnnnnnnnn. Surreal isn’t here and I feel like a third wheel. Man, 3rd wheeling it in another group already, first Frank and Julie, now this,” Katie turned and lowered her head, ready to charge.  
“Katie, no, he’s not worth it”  
“Fuck off, while I’m in a good mood”  
“At least this Kate won’t break my arm…...maybe I’m speaking too soon for that one”  
“Joey, please don’t make Katie kill you,” Ezra didn’t really want Joey to get hurt, even though he was...acting up. Katie apparently had a plan and whispered to Ezra.  
“Hang on tight”  
“Okay?” Ezra started to get worried, but she trusted Katie. Katie then sprint jumped away from Joey, something only a deer could do in a forest. Three minutes later, they arrived at Ezra’s house and Katie kneeled so Ezra could get off. Ezra hopped off of Katie’s back and waited for her to shift back.  
“Sooooooooo, do you wanna come in or do you need to head home after all of that?”  
“Well, that was exhausting, but yeah, I’ll come in. Tea sounds nice, even if it’s cold now,” Ezra walked up to the front of her house, holding the door open for Katie.  
“You can sleep at my place again if you’re exhausted,” Katie groaned as she took off her mask, setting it down on the table.  
“Sounds good,” Ezra laughed at Katie’s groan and shut the door.  
“You know where my room is, if you wanna leave the tea here I can get it together,” Katie sets her pouch on the table as well.  
“Thanks Ezra,” Ezra smiled.  
“No problem! Now go relax,” at that, Katie got up into the rafters in her regular form and laid in one of the beams. Ezra watched as she did this before calling up to her.  
“You don’t have to sleep up there you know, I have a bed you can sleep in,” Katie blinked.  
“I’ve never slept in a bed before…”  
“You haven’t?”  
“I’m Native American from the 1920’s, I lived in a forest all my life. The closes I’ve had is a hammock”  
‘Oh, yeah, that makes sense..well, you can sleep in my bed. It’s not the best, but it works”  
“Better than the ground, or a tree, or the beams,” Katie hopped down from the beam and Ezra walked her back to a small bedroom. Once they arrived, Katie crawled into the covers of the bed and groaned in bliss.  
“I need one,” Ezra chuckled.  
“You could always just sleep here ya know, I don’t mind.” Katie looked startled.  
“Wat?!” Katie blushed, realizing she sounded like a duck. Ezra on the other hand started to get flustered and rushed her words, stuttering a bit.  
“I-I mean, I-it’s just nan option, you d-don’t have to, I just thought it would be a good idea, ya know?” Katie smiled softly.  
“Thank you,” That was the last thing Katie said before she promptly passed out in the very comfy bed. Ezra smiled before forgetting about the tea and sleeping on the floor near the bed so she didn’t disturb Katie. A while after Ezra fell asleep, Katie woke up, seeing Ezra sleeping on the floor, and picked Ezra up and placed her in the bed before crawling back into the bed next to her. Katie passed back out, now sleeping next to Ezra in the same bed. Katie didn’t notice Joey, who had recently appeared, looking in through the window.  
“Sleeping together already...you two move fast”


	9. What are Infiri?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than the usual. Sorry bout.that, but only a few more chapters until we get to the cycle switch!

Katie woke up the next morning in Ezra’s bed, seeing she was still asleep. She got up and walked out to the front room, grabbing her pack and mask before writing a note saying she would be back. After she wrote the note, she shifted into a raven and flew out the window, flying around town and singing tunes to songs she didn’t know. Katie went to feed both of her dogs and hunted for more deer while she was out.  
Ezra started to stir from her sleep. Once she realized that Katie was gone, she quickly got up to look around for the missing woman. She found the note and read it, relaxing a bit knowing that Katie didn’t just disappear. Ezra decided to take the day to relax and hang out around the house. She walked over to one of the bookshelves in her house and grabbed one of the books off the shelf, finding a comfy chair to sit in while she read and waited for Katie to come back. By the time KAtie got back, it was a bit later than midday, Katie knocked loudly on Ezra’s door.  
“You home Ezra?” Ezra quickly got up from her spot and set the book aside, hearing Katie’s voice, and rushed over to open the door.  
“Yep! Come on in!”  
“Thanks, I got dinner,” Katie glanced up towards the sky,“or maybe a late lunch,” Ezra hadn’t had anything that Katie had made to eat, besides jerky of course, so she was obviously excited either way, motioning for Katie to come in.  
“You did?! What’d ya get?” Katie took off her mask and wiggled it.  
“What do I usually eat,” she asked playfully. Ezra got embarrassed once again and she put her had on the side of her neck. Katie giggled at this,“Nah, can’t eat venison all the time”  
“T-that is true”  
“I got some rabbit that will make a lovely stew”  
“Sounds great! Definitely different from what we would get scavenging,” Katie stepped into the house and set her mask down on the table before moving into the kitchen. Ezra followed Katie, making sure to shut the door. Katie grabbed a thin treated plank of wood to use as a cutting board, 3 mid-size rabbits, some rosemary, thyme, and one clove of garlic to chop up.  
“This’ll take a bit if you want to sit down or something”  
“Mkay, I will,” Ezra smiled before grabbing a sketchbook she had set aside and a pencil so she could try drawing something while she waited. She tried to remember one of the things she had seen before the zombie apocalypse. She was able to get a clear image in her head and started to sketch.  
Katie got out a hunting knife to debone the rabbits, putting the bones in a pot of water to simmer, but not boil. She lit the stove, as she was making bone broth, and chopped up the herbs and put them in the broth to give it more flavor. She added some salt and grabbed a small pan to brown the rabbit meat, not much though. Katie carefully took the bones out of the pot to give to Blue and Lady later and put the rabbit meat into the broth and herbs before chopping up 4 good sized potatoes into bite sized pieces and adding those as well. She waited for the potatoes to be soft and the meat to tenderize and cook the whole way through before killing the heat, salting it for taste, and serving the stew into two bowls. Katie put the pot and board back into her pack after cleaning and getting out a small loaf of sourdough bread.  
“And done, well that was a fun 4 hours of standing,” There was obvious sarcasm in Katie’s voice,“Dinner is served,” Ezra laughed and set her sketchbook and pencil to the side, making sure they’d be safe while the two ate.  
“Sweet, thanks you for making it Katie”  
“No problem,” Ezra grabbed her bowl from Katie and set it on the table. KAtie broke the loaf in half and handed one of them to Ezra, then sat to eat. Ezra sat down in her seat before looking at Katie for a moment.  
“So, how was your day?”  
“It was pretty good, I just read a bit today while you were gone. Luckily nothing eventful has happened around town, though that does make me kind of worried”  
“Yeah……..”  
“......Sooooooooooooo, since yesterday happened,” at the mention of the previous day, Katie blushed.  
“What are we gonna call,” Ezra thought for a minute before continuing, making a gesture between them both,“this? I wanna make sure I’m not making a choice that would hurt you or ruin any plans you have”  
“I have lived in a forest my entire life, what plans could I have? I know next to nothing when it comes to love or attraction, but I know that if something happened to you, I would be devastated. With Jay or Joey, I would be upset, but with you? That would break me, and I’ve told you what happens to a broken skinwalker,” Ezra nodded before replying.  
“I would be broken too. I think the only good thing about this town right now is that we come back from the dead,” Katie shrugged.  
“Don’t make it hurt any less”  
“No, it doesn’t, but at least death wouldn’t turn you into one of those zombie creatures I had to deal with. It seems that state is worse than death, your loved ones can’t decide which is the right decision, kill ya or let ya live, taking other people’s lives,” Ezra had a sad smile on her face and looked down, remembering her old life, she never wanted Katie to experience that. Meanwhile, Katie seemed disturbed.  
“Fuck infiri”  
“Infiri?” Ezra seemed confused, which confused Katie as well.  
“Ya know, the walking, infected corpses? MAde with necromancy? Muggles call them zombies or something”  
“Ah, I see. In my time, there was a virus of some kind, that’s what happened with the infected. If you got bitten or scratched, you have a bit of time before you turn”  
“Sounds like the same thing, except infiri are made, then spread”  
“Interesting,” Ezra finished up her stew and started eating her bread. Katie finished her food, getting up to leave again.  
“Well, I need to go. Need to check in on my dogs again, feed ‘em and all that good stuff,” Katie took a few steps back from a window before running towards it and shifting, flying out of it. Ezra gave a small nod before starting to clean up the bowls and went back to her sketchbook.  
“I’ll have to ask to go with her next time,” after sketching for a bit, Ezra decided to collect some flowers for Amelia and Weast’s graves, she hadn’t been there since Masky’s death. Once she collected enough flowers, she made her way over to the graveyard, leaving the flowers at their graves and leaving to go find her friends.


	10. How Much Does IT Control?

Katie flew while holding some lavender, heading towards Amelia’s grave. Katie decided to fly to Joey’s place after leaving the lavender at Amelia’s grave. She saw the shack and landed before shifting human.  
“Thought I hear y’all out here,” Katie petted Blu, seeing as he had stayed with Joey that entire cycle. Joey continued his conversation with Jay.  
“You can come in ya’know,” Jay looked a bit uncomfortable.  
“Ah, thanks,” Jay said before entering,“...Feral frenzy?”  
“Um, that thing I do…...with the speed. The entity gave it to us...we draw blood and we can move really fast for a while, but like, it runs on bloodlust. It’s like a high, coming down is never fun though.”  
“Ah,” Jay nodded.  
“Is that why you threw this at me?” Katie held up the knife.  
“You keep mentioning this…‘entity’. What happened to you? Before you came here? It’s okay if you don’t wanna say! But from what you’ve said before, it sounds similar? In a way to our current situation at least”  
“It was, it really was. Basically, this isn’t the only killing loop I’ve been in, it’s the first time I’ve ever been prey though”  
“Oh...honey…”  
“Fine, ignore me then,” Katie threw the knife at Joey’s feet, sticking it in the ground,“bye ya pineapple bastard.” Katie went to leave the shack.  
“Katie wait, I was talking. Yes, it’s why I threw the knife...also why are you calling me pineapple bastard?” Ezra finally found the shack and saw Katie starting to leave the shack.  
“Katie?” Katie looked over her shoulder at Joey and tapped her nose. She then looked at Ezra.  
“ Hey you” Jay watched Katie leave and sat down.  
“What?”  
“Okay, basically…...there’s this creature, we called it the entity. It feeds on emotions, usually hope, but it seems to love despair and bloodlust just as much. It kidnapped people, pulled them into its own dimension. It created killing grounds based on the memories of the people it brought in. It took people who killed before and made them kill for it, sacrificing innocent people it dragged in. If they escaped? It got fed. If they didn’t? It got fed. Lots of serial killers and what have you, but I never figured out why it took us. Before it took us, we’d only killed one person between the four of us,” Jay sat and listened calmly to Joey, worry clear on her face. Ezra was a bit confused at what Joey was saying, but she focused on Katie for the moment and smiled.  
“What’s goin’ on?”  
“I got ignored and Joey is having a heart to heart with Jay bout his own personal demon”  
“Personal…...demon?”  
“His version of your IT” Ezra frowned at this.  
“H-how? I thought...I thought…...wait, you said his version, yes?”  
“Yup, his own personal demon…,” Katie looked around, seeming like she heard something,“What was that? I just heard something or someone fall…” Ezra took a step towards Joey, not hearing what Katie had said.  
“You have a version of IT?” Joey had continued his conversation with Jay, most likely not hearing Ezra. Katie had left to figure out what she had heard.  
“It was all Frank’s fucking fault, before he came to Ormond we were all bored, sure, but we were good people…...mostly. Then Julie figured he was her way out of there and decided to date the guy…...he was pretty cool...and charismatic, ya know? I got fired from my job at the hardware store, and Frank decided we were going to have revenge or whatever, the janitor caught us, grabbed Julie, and Frank saw fucking red” Ezra realized Joey probably hadn’t heard her, so she repeated her question.  
“Joey, did you have a version of IT?”  
“And yeah, I know what IT is, the novel, right?”  
“No! IT, as in the entity that I talked to Katie about...”  
“Oh, um...I don’t know then”  
“It controls what you can remember, sometimes even what you do...I think IT is why I’m here,” Ezrahad started making gestures with her hands while she was talking.  
“Oh, well then yeah, I guess we have another Entity I suppose,” Jay frowned.  
“ You mean when you lost your memories the other day?” Ezra turned to look at Jay.  
“Yes! That thing!” Joey had gone back to talking and Ezra had gone quiet to go over some things mentally.  
“So yeah, Frank stabbed the guys, and then he started screaming about finishing the job or some shit. Before I knew it, all four of us had blood on our knives and we’re trying to hide this dude’s body. Then the fog rolled in and we were all crammed into one body and it was telling us to kill people,” Ezra glanced at the other two before suggesting something.  
“...IT hasn really been active for me recently, as far as I can tell that is...what if this entity is across multiple times or even universes?”  
“It won't be the same entity, we killed the last one…...at least, we think we did”  
“Okay, so first off, youŕe acting on the assumption that this is a different universe, time, or what have you. Secondly, can you be absolutely sure that IT has been after you? Excuse my language, but it could just be fucking around.”  
“I don't know Jay, okay? I was just suggesting an idea…” Ezra looked away from the other two.  
“I know, but it’s good to poke holes in ideas before they try to take off with broken wings. It was a good suggestion though.”  
“Thanks...I guess,” Ezra mumbled.  
“Joey, you said you killed it...how? How did you get out in the end?”  
“One of the killers, he uh, had a heart after all. He sacrificed himself to the souls that were too weak to keep going...it uh, it gave them enough power to rebel against the thing. Next thing we knew, Autohaven was merging with the real world and the entity was screaming at us to stop the survivors from escaping...it was too weak to stop them, like it’s own rules were fighting it, we lost our invulnerability, the survivors started fighting back, most of the killers died. We piled into a pickup truck and got the hell out of dodge. We’re hoping that without anything to feed on, it’ll just die of starvation,” Jay wrote this down in a journal as he talked and frowned.  
“...but you’re not sure?”  
“Is there any way to really check Jay?”  
“No...thatś why so many of the survivors are trying to convince the world of what happened. We’re hoping that if anyone else gets nicked, they’ll know what to do, but I guess I’ll never know, considering I’m on the other end of the knife now...Karma is a bitch I guess,” Jay paused.  
“Would you say that this entity has influence on time? As in, were any of you from different periods of time?” Ezra glanced at Jay again, going through what she was going to mention earlier,“I know what you’re thinking Ezra and I’m comparing this entity to whatever brought us here, not IT. They’re not necessarily the same thing.”  
“To answer your question Jay, yeah. There were people from all different time periods, hell there was dude from a universe where the zombie apocalypse was real.”  
“It was real,” Ezra muttered.  
“Oh…” Jay looked at Ezra after Joey said that.  
“Maybe, maybe not. We won’t know unless we can prove he was from the same time Jay,” Jay hesitated.  
“I...don’t want to say this, but from the sounds of it...it’s a very real possibility that we are now facing your entity Ezra. Emphasis on possibly though. We don’t know for sure yet,”Ezra sighed.  
“Why do you think I mentioned IT Jay?” Ezra paused,“How long has it been since Katie left?” Jay frowned deeper.  
“Not long, why?”  
“I’m...not sure, something just feels off, did she say where she was going?”  
“I don’t know, you were the last person to talk to her.”  
“No way it’s the same entity! For one, ours used to whisper in our heads, all the goddamn time.”  
“We don’t know if it is or isn’t without looking into it, Joey,” Jay shrugged.  
“Could be trying something new”  
“Oh please, it couldn’t tell new if you slapped it in the face with it. It literally adapted things from our memories to make its realm, not even well most of the time,” Ezra scoffed before taking a breath.  
“...I’m gonna go look for Katie before this turns into another yelling match and someone gets stabbed with something.”  
“I’m so sorry about that Ezra,” Ezra made a gesture, motioning that it was fine.  
“Sorry, what happened?”  
“It’s fine, I guess, I started that yelling match anyways by being idiotic,” Ezra waved goodbye before leaving the other two to talk so she could find Katie.  
“Katie might have gone to her cave to grab something, so I can check there first...she would’ve come back to the shack if she wasn’t there, right?” Ezra quickly walked to the cave and looked around for Katie,“Katie? Are you here? You left suddenly and you didn’t come back to the shack…” Ezra heard muffled howling in the corner of the cave. She rushed over to the noise and found Katie bound and muzzled in her wolf form. She quickly tried to remove the binding, but it wouldn’t come off.  
“What the hell happened?!” Katie tried yelling through the muzzle, not being able to speak. Ezra removed the muzzler from Katie and as it came off, she shifted human and slipped fron the bonds immediatly.  
“Shit had an anti-animagus charm built in, which apparently works on skinwalkers.”  
“How did this happen? Who did this?”  
“Someone jumped on my back and put the muzzle on me then used incarserus...I never saw a face,” Katie shifted into a raven,“Take me home, please, I want to sleep.”  
“I will, don’t worry,” Ezra picked Katie up and set her on her shoulder befoer heading home,“I swear, if I ever find out who did this, I’m going to hunt them until these cycles end…” Ezra arrived at her house as quickly as she could and took Katie back to the bedroom, setting her on the bed.  
“Shift into whatever is comfortable Katie, I need to send a message,” Katie shifted human.  
“I’m good”  
“Are you sure Hun?”  
“Yeah…”  
“Mkay, try to sleep, I’ll be right here,” Katie passed out right after that. Ezra glanced at Katie with worry before sending a patronus message to Jay & Joey, saying they need to make their way over, quick.  
Ezra saw the pair and another person approaching her house and rushed to the door.  
“Come in, quiet though, Katie is asleep...and she needs it”


	11. Enter Stage Left, Carta

The other person stepped forward and started whispering,"Alright, what happened? Is Katie alright?"  
Looking over, Ezra stares at the other person.“Who exactly are you?”  
They look a bit sheepish as they respond to Ezra."Sorry, my name's Carta. I was with Jay when you sent the message and went along to help.” Reaching up, they rub the back of their head.  
Jay started whispering as well,"You sounded urgent. Is everything alright?" Moving forward, the trio walk into the house, getting out of the street.  
Joey looked away, mumbling. “I shouldn’t be here I don’t think.”  
Looking over at Joey, Ezra attempts to calm him."You're fine Joey, just, don't freak out too much, please"  
Joey squints. "That's really not helping my worry."  
Sighing, Ezra explains. "She was in her cave, wolf form, muzzle and bounds on her. I had to get the muzzle off before she could shift back, apparently had an anti-animagus charm built in. Someone jumped on her back and put the muzzle on her then used incarserus….she never saw a face"  
Carta’s face darkens, twitching a bit. “Sometimes, it’s times like this when I hate the position I’m in. I want to find that person and strangle them, but alas I cannot.” Her hands twitch, trying to form into fists.  
Looking down, Jay attempts to speak.“That’s…”  
Shaking her head, Ezra turns back to the others. "I don't know who would do this, after she got out of the bounds, we came here"  
Breathing out, Carta turns her head, looking into nothing as she speaks.“It’s cruel. And not something anyone deserves.” Her hands clench, before relaxing slightly.  
“No, it's really not,” Ezra shook her head in agreement while Joey raises a finger, then thinks better of it and lowers it again.  
Pursing her lips, Carta speaks.“I’d pin the blame on those crawling out from the abyss, but it seems too soon to attack. Besides, they’d go straight for the kill and not leave her as is.” Carding through her hair, Carta looks toward the others.  
"I believe Joey must be rubbing off on me, but that is fucked up" Pausing, Jay thinks for a moment. "Perhaps they are trying to 'psych us out'?"  
Carta shakes her head. “Unlikely. I wouldn’t know what they would be thinking at this time, but I really don’t think they’d miss that chance to off another innocent.”  
“Serial Killer?” Jay offers another option, and Carta considers it for a bit.  
Joey turns to look at Jay, deadpan. “Do you have to blame me for every time you swear?”  
Putting his palms up as a sign of assurance, Jay shrugs.“This was the first time, I mostly just apologise for swearing."  
Ezra looks thoughtful for a second, before turning to Joey. "You have something to say Joey? Looked like you might've had an idea"  
Joey looks up at Ezra. “I was going to suggest that there are people who deserve this shit, but Kate hates me enough already.”  
Carta’s head shoots up to look at Joey,“No. Nobody deserves cruelty. Maybe they deserve swift judgement, but never cruelty. And as for the Serial Killer, I know that they’d never go for someone like this.”  
Looking at Joey, Ezra states her confusion."What do you mean Kate hates you? What happened?"  
Shrugging off Ezra’s question, Joey responds to Carta’s statement.“You’ve never met Anna then”  
Jay takes a few steps back. "I'm... just gonna leave that one."  
Joey shrugs, and starts to list off a few traits. “Scary Russian lady with an Axe, never stops singing, definitely could have used a muzzle”  
Ezra nods."We need to find her then"  
Carta nods as well in affirmation. “That we do, that we do.”  
Turning to Joey, Ezra asks him another question. "Do you know where she could be Joey?"  
Deflecting back onto the previous question, Joey responds. “And Kate hates me because I dunno, she’s just... ...maybe it was the teasing?”  
Looking at Carta and Ezra, Jay squints at them. "You... want to find one of the people from Joey's past?"  
Carta shrugs, responding to both Joey and Jay in the same breath. “Well, whatever it was, you can always try to make up for it and fix the issue.”  
Joey shakes his head no.“Please don’t look for her, also it’s a good thing she isn’t here” He then pauses for a second, staring them in the eye. “Trust me”  
Erza nods, and apologizes to Joey.“I-That wasn't thought out, sorry Joey, we don't have to"  
Carta takes a deep breath in, unsure what to say and then speaks,“Of course. As for what we can do right now? Other than find the assailant and meter out justice.”  
Ezra shakes her head then starts pacing out of frustration "If Anna isn't an option, then who is? Someone needs to be held responsible for this, I'm not going to let this go that easily"  
Looking between the others, Joey becomes confused.“Wait, you guys want to look for her? Why would you want to look for her... ...you think a person I randomly named did it? I thought I was the dumb one here.”  
Ezra stopped and looks at Joey.  
Carta, attempting to diffuse the situation, moves forward.“Let us not put out blame where it is not due. Until we find the attacker, we should resist hurting others in the name of... You know, I wish Citra was here sometimes, she was very good at helping people get through trauma.”  
Furrowing their brows slightly, Jay sideyes Carta. "Citra?"  
Carta shrugs, and waves with her hand. “A friend of mine from… before all this,”  
Ezra shakes her head before walking out of the room to check in on Katie while Jay nods in understanding.  
Weighing something invisible with her hands, Carta continues. “She worked in the Temple like I did, but she was much more of a Priestess than an Archivist.”  
Tilting their head, Jay stares at Carta."You know, I don't believe you ever talked about your past."  
Ezra sits on the side of the bed and looks at Katie, clearly upset.  
Carta purses her lips and looks off to the side, considering. “My past… thinking about some of the things that I helped do makes this situation slightly awkward.”  
Jay nods. "Ah. Best not then."  
"We'll do something about this, you don't have to worry" Ezra mumbled under her breath.


	12. Who's a God Killer Now? (A.k.a Local Cryptid Woman Possibly has Godkiller on her Resume)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ezra does kinda insult Jay & Carta about religion in this chapter sooooooooo

Joey, having remained silent for a bit, and seeing that Ezra was not there, turns to Carta.“Wait you’re Roman right?”  
Raising a brow, Carta responds. “Yes, why do you ask?”  
Joey’s face takes a little bit of a contemplative look before he continues. “Did you put Jesus on ice?”  
Both Carta and Jay turn to stare, and respond in the same breath.“What?”  
Seeing their confusion, Joey explains. “The Romans executed Jesus? Like, if he was real. Was he real?” Joey then motions for Carta to speak, and Carta takes his que.  
“I think so? I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking, but I do remember having to look through records for things like that. I was more in charge of documentation than judgement in any case, even if I did provide the records to cat judgement at times. As for your question, that goes either way. I cannot be sure what you exactly mean in any case.” Furrowing her brows in more thought, Carta stares at the ground, looking for an answer.  
Joey, tilting his head from side to side, then explains a bit more. “So basically, there was a dude who started what is now the most widespread religion in the world and the romans executed him and he came back to life and stuff.”  
Jay then nods. “Ah, Jesus. I’m Catholic ya know.”  
At last, Carta nods in understanding. “Ahh, interesting to know, in any case. I don’t think there were any people named Jesus where I lived - that would have been a very interesting name.”  
Ezra appeared from around a corner suddenly.“Your gods aren’t real, if they were they would have prevented all this,”   
The other three turned towards Ezra.  
Jay is the first to speak. “Well, that’s an awfully rude thing to say.”  
Carta, even though she was the one being called out, shrugs. “I don’t think my gods are any of theirs. Besides, I don’t have any reason to believe that they would stop it.”   
Ezra crossed her arms. “Keep in mind when I’m from Jay. Oh wait, huh, you don’t know. Of course you don’t, you weren’t there”  
Motioning, Carta continues on her little explanation. “The Ones I worship work more on a grand scale than one like this. As much as I would like to say that I am valuable, something at this scale I do not think they would bother with, If anything, two or three of them might have started it out of boredom in any case. Who knows?” Shrugging, she then looks at the others.   
Staring at Ezra, Jay bite out their next few words.“I don’t have any over-the-top beliefs about God, especially since coming here, but I certainly would not stoop so low as to insult another person’s religion.”  
Ezra glared at Jay and laughed sarcastically. “Well I’m sorry, but in my experience, religion can turn you crazy. People thought sacrificing themselves to their ‘gods’ was gonna stop the virus, but it didn’t. In fact, it made everything worse, it infected many more people than it would have if people had given up on their ‘gods’ earlier.”  
Not understanding that what Ezra said was sarcasm, Carta then speaks. “I fall under the Seventh, so it would not be my place to judge what she sees as her Truth.”  
Ezra sighed before responding to Jay. “...I guess not, but people were then.”  
Smiling, Carta nods. “Even if it is entirely different than mine. Besides, sanity is entirely relative.”  
Ezra then deflates slightly, speaking an apology to Jay. “I guess it is relative, people didn’t know how to deal with the outbreak, even though that probably wasn’t the best way, it’s likely that people still probably don’t know……...sorry Jay.”  
Jay sighed. “It’s alright.”  
Threading her hands together, Carta thinks for a moment before speaking. “Hmm, all of this is giving me a theory. Jay, if you are fine with sharing, what situation were you in right before coming here? Because if I am indeed remembering correctly, then I think I have a reason as to why we are here in the first place. I think we all wanted to escape, leave from the situation we were last in, and as a result, we were brought to this place.”  
Ezra sat on the back of the couch and scoffed. “No way, this, excuse me Jay, hell of cycles is worse.”  
Quickly unthreading her hands, Carta puts them up as an attempt to reassure Ezra. “That does not mean we want to be here, in this situation, but that we did not want to be in our previous one.”  
Ezra laughs, cold. “I was fine surviving on my own, there was no problem with that thank you very much.”  
Jay mulls it over for a second before responding. “To answer what you asked before Carta, it was about two years after the American Revolution. I felt content, I think, but my family...I was the only one who survived the war.”  
Feeling confident in her line of thought, Carta then continues. “Did you not wish for that situation to change thought? For it to end? I don’t think the place we are in is necessarily any better, but it is a change.”  
Jay, looking at Carta, responds, a confused lilt in their voice. “I...truely, I cannot remember, perhaps I did. I do remember feeling wistful...but I don’t think Joey wanted to leave. He had made it out of his last killing game after all.”  
Snarling, Ezra stares at Carta. “I don’t need anymore change, my groups died and my family was murdered before the apocalypse,” Ezra started getting quieter while she spoke, tears started to form in her eyes before she wiped them away,“I’ve had enough change in my life.”   
Putting a hand over her heart, Carta apologizes. “Ah, my apologies. I pray they rest peacefully behind the Sixth.”  
Ezra shook her head. “My original group was infected because of a stupid alarm and my other group feel apart and doesn’t deserve peace.”  
Nodding, Carta then corrects her previous statement. “Ah...to the first group I hope the Third will help them soon to bring them to the Sixth. As for the second...the Eighth shall whisper into them and bring them their lies before the Abyss claims them fully.”  
Ezra smiled slightly. “Thanks...you guys should probably get going for the night, I’ll be here with Katie.”  
Clasping her hands, Carta then bows her head. “For Katie, I pray the Seventh shall bring us to the height of the matter and that the Eighth shall be light with their treatment. I hope that this will not cause her too much harm. How I wish this place had someone like Citra! Anyways, have a good night.” A small smile on her face, Carta walks over to the door.   
“Yeah...have a good night,” Ezra walked them to the door and sent them on their way, telling them to be safe. Ezra watched Carta nod her head and walked off before she closed the door, barely seeing Carta drag Joey off with her.  
Ezra quickly made her way back to Katie, making sure she was okay before getting under the covers and cuddling with her.


	13. Welcoming a New Cycle

Katie woke up in a strange place that she had never been to before. “Wha-? Where am I?” She looked around for a minute and saw the town on her left, the forest on her right. She thought about it for a second before shifting into a raven and flying into the town. She saw a house in the town and all the memories came flooding back. “Ezra,” she whispered softly. She flew to Ezra’s house and found it empty. She flew up into the rafters before shifting human and waiting up there out of sight, she didn’t sleep, only eating what was in her pack. She waited for someone, anyone to come in and say that people were still alive, that she wasn’t alone in this town for the rest of time, or what passes as time in this infinite loop.  
Ezra woke up near a graveyard, slightly confused before remembering the loop. She quickly got up from the bench she woke up on and looked around for Katie. Ezra got worried after not seeing her, so she made her way back to her house, deciding that if she wasn’t at the house, Katie would probably be at her cave. Ezra was quiet as she made her way home. She didn’t think the loop would end this soon, if that loop was even over. Ezra saw the town slowly waking up and leaving their houses, unlike Ezra who had woken up in the graveyard for some reason. Ezra stopped momentarily before her eyes widened and she raced home. She set down the baseball bat she always had on her and picked up the dagger in one of her drawers in her bedroom. She attached the dagger to the belts on her thigh before quickly making her way around the house, looking for Katie. “Katie? You here?” Ezra called out, using a louder voice than she normally would. When she was making her way home, Ezra realized that her ‘adopted’ family might be alive now. She wanted to bring Katie with her to check on everyone.  
Katie had ended up falling asleep waiting for someone. She woke up and saw Ezra looking around. ‘Good, she remembers.’ She dropped a note out of her pocket and shifted into a raven. Katie dropped the note behind Ezra as she flew away into the forest.  
Ezra saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned to follow, noticing the note on the ground, picking it up and frowning. “What is...this?” She read it aloud, “Hey Ezra, I have to go for awhile. If I see you, I most likely won’t talk, but I still love you. Something is different this time, I’m different. I don’t know what is happening and it scares me. I’m terrified, but I’ll live. I’m going into the forest for now. I’ll still fly around town, dropping in and freaking people out, but I can’t stay with you for now. I hope you can understand. With Love, Katie.” Ezra frowned and set the letter aside, placing it in the drawer the dagger was in a bit ago.“She...won’ t be around. I guess I’ll be...fine? I should try to find Joey or Jay, maybe they know what’s going on with Katie? First, I need to find Amelia, maybe Weast and Masky as well. Maybe...I’ll try to find Katie later, maybe check in with her dogs.” Ezra shook her head, determined to make sure Katie was alright, but for the moment, she headed towards the Inn in search of Amelia.  
Ezra arrived at the Inn, looking around quickly before she saw Amelia and rushed over. “Oh my god, Amelia! Thank god you’re alright.”  
Amelia glanced towards the door and smiled. “I’m fine Ezra, how are you? I’ve been watching over everyone,” she winked at that statement.   
Ezra nodded with a sad smile before replying. “I’m...fine I guess. Katie left a note before leaving my place all of a sudden, something about this cycle being different...I’m kinda worried.”   
Amelia walked around the counter to talk to Ezra. “Yes, something does feel a little off, but I’m not too sure. I don’t think we have to be too worried.”  
“If you say so,” Ezra gave a small smile,“So, is there anything I can help with?”  
“Not really anything yet. I don’t quite know who is awake yet.”  
Ezra nodded. “Gotcha...mind if I stick around while you wait? I don’t really have anything planned today, other than possibly checking in with either Joey or Jay. Maybe Elber if he’s here.”  
“That’s fine with me. Elber should be around here somewhere. Jay and Joey don’t normally wake up til later I believe.”  
“Cool, thanks Amelia”  
Amelia smiled. “Anytime, I missed speaking with you.” Ezra hugged Amelia before taking a seat at the bar to wait. The two women hear someone scrambling down the stairs, turning towards them. They see Elber as he almost runs into the wall.  
“Hi, sorry, coming through! Good morning Ezra!” He rounded the corner into the main hall of the Inn where his eyes fixated on the short figure behind the counter. Ezra continued to watch Elber.  
“Amelia! You’re back! Are you okay? Does anything hurt? I know everyone said you’d be back but I couldn’t quite bring myself to believe it...I-” Tears welled up in Elber’s eyes before he fell silently, collapsing on the floor. “You’re really back.”  
Ezra’s eyes widened before she shot out of her seat to help Elber off the floor. She sat on the ground with him, placing her hands on his shoulders. “ Hey, hey, it’s okay.”  
Amelia looked up quickly from her log book before kneeling down to help Elber up. “I’m here and alive. I’m safe, don’t worry. Are you okay though?” She gave a sad smile and held out her hand to help him up. Ezra slowly removed her hands from Elber’s shoulders so he could get up, still staying on the floor, ready if he needed help getting up.  
“I-...yeah, I’m okay, just not used to getting people back after losing them,” He tenderly took Amelia’s hand, just holding it for a moment before looking up into her eyes,“I’m going to lose you again, eventually, aren’t I?”  
Amelia looked at Elber sadly, a small frown replacing her sad smile. “Eventually, yes, but who knows. It depends on who the mafia goes after.”  
Ezra gave them both a sad look before smiling a bit. “C’mon, let’s get you off the floor.”  
Elber went quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath and sighing, letting Ezra guide him to stand. “I-...Can I still stay at the Inn?”  
Amelia still held his hand. “Of course you can, stay as long as you’d like.”  
He smiled softly at that and gave Amelia’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”  
She squeezed back as if a sign she won’t be going anywhere. “Anytime.”  
There’s a soft knock at the door of the Inn, and Ezra goes to check who it is. Carta stands at the door, waiting to be allowed in. “Hello?”   
Spooked by the noise at the door, Elber squawks and lets go of Amelia’s hand, and turns to see who it is.  
Amelia looks over at Carta as she walks over to her log book. “Ah hello, welcome.”  
Ezra nods, and looks towards Carta. “Hey Carta, how are you?”  
Carta smiles, looking over everyone else as she responds to Ezra. “I’m fine, just a bit off. Something doesn’t exactly feel right, but that could have just been me. How are you?”   
“It does feel off, other than that, everything seems fine,” Ezra smiled before muttering under her breath,“other than Katie leaving”   
Carta nods. “Ah so I’m not the only one. While I think that everyone is alive and well, something feels... incomplete.  
Looking over at the two more closely, Elber speaks. “Things definitely feel different from last time...is that normal?”  
Standing over by her logbook, Amelia nods. “I agree, it’s not normal” She flips through her book, looking for something.   
Elber hums, contemplative.


End file.
